This is one thing I find missing when I go to model shows. I don't necessarily mean a pilot in the aircraft as the originator asked but if you've got a collection of say 1/72 aircraft, why not throw in a figure or a vehicle for scale purposes.

After all that has been said, the bottom line is that nobody produces an accurate early wing and that @Tony Edmundsonwith:
seems to be the way to go and start with the Academy kit but others have said, this is still 'D' wing and being IA, doesn't have the chin guns.
So, why not go with the SH kit, you have to do the wing anyway but it has chin guns?
So can those that know tell us roughly, how much we need to move the 'kink' inboard and move the fuselage/wing join rearward. This surely will put us into 'the best we can expect' area? And as for the "3-inch" drop from wing to canopy lip, in this scale would only be about 1mm, and I wouldn't lose sleep over that? Undoubtedly their will be other things to correct.
Stuart

Mmm, interesting...Is the earlier wing set lower as suggested by @gingerbobor a thicker wing suggested by @Jure Miljevic?
I am led to believe that the Model News kit of the Mustang I is rather horrid but did it have a better wing?
The article in Internet Modeler dated 1999 does mention the fact that the wing root leading edge is further back relative to the same point on the Italeri fuselage... Has anybody had any experience of this MN kit, it's accuracy (forget about its quality)?
I see plenty of these kits for sale 'across the pond' in the US but postage kills this idea

Very informative guys, thanks.
Looking at the plan shots between the early and late wings, the kink looks like it starts in exactly the same place but the angle is different, the 'D' seems to join the fuselage further forward?
The underside shots of the undercarriage doors suggest that their is less clearance between door and leading edge on the early, where as the 'D' has more clearance?
If my assumptions are correct and the 'D' joins a little forward, how much are talking; 6" is only 2mm in 72nd, and as the for the 'droop' in this scale...maybe for the purists?
Stuart

Thanks guys for the info. I have been through the Mustang topic mentioning @ColFord, very informative but a lot of it revolved around 1/48. I am beginning to understand the main differences between versions but will rely on you guys to explain the kit options to achieve these early versions.
Looks like this is an option but do I really want to buy an SH kit for the chin guns?
Can you expand on the SH wing as it means nothing to me at the moment ?

Horses for courses me thinks.
If you're displaying on the ground then it's up to you whether you have a pilot. If it's a dio then you're heading towards 'something else' like a pilot, ground crew, etc. But, if you're putting the thing into a flying attitude, as some do, then a pilot is a must, otherwise how does the aircraft get there!?

Thanks Tony. The first thread you mentioned wasn't active when I posted this morning, and now it's live.
Very lively, very informative but as you say, it's mainly 1/48. Nonetheless, a lot of info to go as far as major features are concerned, just need to investigate best kits. As mentioned in #1, Internet Modeler states using the Italeri Alison kit for the fuselage and the Model News wings? And the there is the SH kit?
Stuart